Alternative Music
35 Most Anticipated Metal + Hard Rock Albums of 2022
The pop culture forecast for 2022 is looking mighty fine, and we’re previewing everything we’re excited about this year with a series of lists. Just so you have it all in one place, we’ve also published our Most Anticipated (Non-Heavy) Albums, Most Anticipated Films, Most Anticipated TV Shows and Rising Artists to Watch roundups. Every corner of the music industry has been affected by the pandemic, and the realms of heavy metal and hard rock were put in a precarious limbo following the lockdowns of 2020. For visceral genres so reliant on the energy of live performance, the lack of shows cast a malaise over the scene, resulting in an album drought. For many acts, it simply didn’t make sense to release an album they couldn’t support with a tour. Many, like Avenged Sevenfo...
2022 Festival Lineups Ranked by The What Podcast
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS Festival fans got hit with an onslaught of lineups in the last couple of weeks, and Brad and Barry from The What podcast discuss and rank their favorites. Spoiler alert, it’s New Orleans Jazz Fest at No. 1 and then everyone else. (Get your tickets here!) Related Video But what of Coachella (tickets here)? Or less “prestigious” events like Shaky Knees (tickets here) or Boston Calling (tickets here)? And then of course there’s the biggest elephant in the room, Bonnaroo? (The What fellas may be lukewarm on Roo’s 2022 bill, but loyal Bonnaroovians can still get your tickets here.) Advertisement Listen to The What podcast’s full ranking of the major 2022 music festival lineu...
Former Simpsons Composer Alf Clausen Drops Disability Discrimination Lawsuit Against Fox
In 2017, Alf Clausen — the man behind the music for each episode of The Simpsons for 27 seasons — was fired, prompting the composer to file a wrongful termination lawsuit against Fox. Now, Variety reports that Clausen has dropped the lawsuit. Clausen, who was 78 at the time he was fired, filed the suit in August 2019, alleging that Fox let him go from the show due to his age and Parkinson’s diagnosis. A judge dismissed part of the lawsuit in 2020, saying Clausen did not have enough evidence to back up his claims of age discrimination, but he could proceed with his disability discrimination claim. Fox appealed the judge’s ruling, and Clausen’s attorney, Ebby Bakhtiar, told Variety that the justices seemed unlikely to rule in Clausen’s favor. Instead of putting Clausen at risk...
Watch ANTHRAX’s JOEY BELLADONNA Cover DIO’s ‘Holy Diver’ With Members Of DROWNING POOL
ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna joined members of DROWNING POOL on this year’s ShipRocked cruise Monday night (January 24) to perform a cover of the DIO classic “Holy Diver”. Video footage of his appearance can be seen below. This year’s ShipRocked set sail from Galveston, Texas on January 22 and includes stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. ShipRocked 2022 features music performances from over 25 bands, plus special appearances by THE STOWAWAYS all-star group and performance troupe CHERRY BOMBS. After consistently selling out over its 12-year history, ShipRocked expanded to the larger Carnival Dream class. ShipRocked 2022 guests will enjoy five days of music and adventure at sea and in port. Produced by ASK4 Entertainment, ShipRocked is a once-in-a-lifetime expe...
WARRANT And SHEPTONE Launch ‘Cherry Pie’ 30th-Anniversary Limited-Edition Guitar Strings
Sheptone celebrates a milestone for one of rock ‘n’ roll’s most recognized anthems and albums with the release of WARRANT “Cherry Pie” 30th-anniversary limited-edition regular nickel-plated electric guitar strings. Handwound at tensions and speeds designated for optimal performance, these strings sound “so good they make a grown man cry.” In light of Sheptone‘s history with the band and this joyous occasion, the limited-edition “Cherry Pie” strings deliver an iconic tone that will put smiles on faces 10 miles wide. The single “Cherry Pie” and its album by the same name are permanently cemented into the history of rock as one of the all-time best, standing out as a rare album that can be listened to from beginning to en...
GHOST Debuts New Song ‘Kaisarion’ At First Show Of U.S. Tour With VOLBEAT (Video)
GHOST kicked off its co-headlining tour with VOLBEAT last night (Tuesday, January 25) at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. During its 16-song set, GHOST performed the recently released single “Hunter’s Moon”, a cover of METALLICA‘s “Enter Sandman” and debuted another song from its upcoming “Impera” album, called “Kaisarion”. The band’s setlist was as follows: 01. Kaisarion (world premiere) 02. Rats 03. From The Pinnacle To The Pit 04. Mary On A Cross 05. Devil Church 06. Cirice 07. Hunter’s Moon (live premiere) 08. Faith 09. Helvetesfönster (abridged) 10. Year Zero 11. Ritual 12. Mummy Dust 13. Kiss The Go-Goat Encore: 14. Enter Sandman (METALLICA cover) (live premiere) 15. Dance Macabre 16. Square Hammer GHOST&#...
SHINEDOWN Announces ‘Planet Zero’ Album, Unveils Title Track
SHINEDOWN will release its seventh album, “Planet Zero”, on April 22 via Atlantic Records. The official lyric video for the LP’s title track can be seen below. Vocalist Brent Smith stated about the new disc: “If we shut each other down and allow ourselves to be divided by the information we consume and the way we talk to each other, we lose our humanity. When you look outside of your phone, you’ll see there are so many people doing good things and trying to take care of each other. But we’re starting to see parts of society slip into an unknown. ‘Planet Zero’ was written for all of us. The fact is that we’re all here on this planet no matter what, so it’s time to actually move forward together with empathy, perseverance and streng...
The Decemberists Announce 2022 North American Tour
The Decemberists are hitting the road in Summer 2022 for their whimsically titled “ARISE FROM THE BUNKERS! TOUR.” Marking their first jaunt since 2018, it essentially serves as a stand-in for their 20th anniversary trek, which was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Kicking off in Bonner, Montana on August 3rd, the North American tour will make stops in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York, and Nashville before wrapping up on August 28th in Atlanta. Brigid Mae Power will serve as the opener for each date. The band has partnered with PLUS 1 to give $1 from each ticket to supporting organizations that are working to ensure access to reproductive rights for all. See the full itinerary below. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 28th at 10:00 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster. ...
Elton John Postpones Concerts After Testing Positive for COVID-19
The Rocketman is going to cool his jets for a while. As Sir Elton John revealed in his Instagram stories, he’s tested positive for COVID-19, and has been forced to postpone two upcoming shows on his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour.” “I have contracted COVID and so have had to reschedule my shows in Dallas,” he wrote. “Fortunately, I’m fully vaccinated and boosted and my symptoms are mild so I’m fully expecting to be able to make the Arkansas shows this weekend. As always, thank you for all your love and support and I can’t wait to see you all soon!” Those with tickets to the two Dallas shows will be contacted soon with new dates. Check out his full statement below. Advertisement Related Video John returned to the stage earlier this month with a show at New Orleans’ Smoothi...
R.I.P. Peter Robbins, Original Voice of Charlie Brown Dead at 65
Peter Robbins, the original voice of Charlie Brown, has died at the age of 65. According to FOX 5 San Diego, Robbins took his own life last week. As a child, Robbins voiced Charlie Brown in six Peanuts television specials, including A Charlie Brown Christmas and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, as well as in the 1969 feature film, A Boy Named Charlie Brown. Robbins was replaced as the voice of Charlie Brown in 1970, but Peanuts continued to use a recording of his “AUGH!!” scream in later specials. Related Video At the age of 16, Robbins retired from the entertainment industry. As an adult, he worked in real estate and hosted a talk radio program. Advertisement Robbins suffered from bipolar disorder, and was sentenced to prison in 2015 for making criminal threats. In an interview with...
SLASH Was ‘Blown Away’ By AXL ROSE’s Performance With AC/DC
GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash says that he was “blown away” by Axl Rose‘s performance as the fill-in singer for the end of AC/DC‘s “Rock Or Bust” tour. AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after frontman Brian Johnson was advised to stop playing live or “risk total hearing loss.” The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its “Rock Or Bust” tour with the GUNS N’ ROSES frontman as a “guest vocalist.” In a new interview with Classic Rock magazine, Slash said about Axl‘s pairing with AC/DC: “I came out to a gig in London, and it was phenomenal. I was blown away, especially when he sang the Bon Scott stuff. That was a very proud moment, a...
GWAR To Release ‘The New Dark Ages’ Album In June
GWAR will release its ambitious new album, “The New Dark Ages”, on June 3 on CD and digital, and on September 16 on vinyl and cassette via GWAR‘s own label Pit Records. Pre-orders are available at this location. The album concept is tied to a companion graphic novel, “GWAR In The Duoverse Of Absurdity”, which will be released by Z2 Comics on June 3. In the graphic novel, the bandmembers are sucked off into an alternate universe to do battle with their evil twins and the specter of rogue technology. On “The New Dark Ages”, our heroes floorboard it through a kaleidoscope of hard-driving heavy metal, and rock and fucking roll, building on their hilarious mythos, introducing cool new characters, and cataloging mankind’s hapless abandonment of their pas...
